Maccabi Tel Aviv's chase of a new frontman is reaching its final stretch. Sport5 reports that Ester Sokler, the Slovenian striker at Serbian side Radnički 1923, is set to land in Israel overnight into Sunday ahead of completing his transfer to the Yellow-and-Blue.
The move, according to Sport5, is worth in the region of €1 million to Radnički, who signed Sokler permanently in January 2026 after a season-long loan spell. Israel Hayom and Sport1 both report the fee and the club's advanced position in the deal, with Sokler expected to undergo a medical before putting pen to paper.
Maccabi's interest did not go unchallenged. Israel Hayom reports that Red Star Belgrade, Vojvodina and city rivals Partizan Belgrade all made a run at the 27-year-old, but that Maccabi's financial offer proved the most attractive, tipping the race in the Israeli club's favour.
Sokler is no stranger to physically demanding schedules. Sport5 notes he featured for 66 minutes in Radnički's league fixture against Novi Pazar last weekend, evidence he arrives in Israel already match-sharp rather than needing time to build fitness during pre-season.
The Slovenian's numbers have been eye-catching. Sport5 credits him with 11 league goals for Radnički in the 2025-26 campaign, continuing a scoring streak that began during his loan spell from Aberdeen, the Scottish Premiership club he had joined in the summer of 2023.
Born in Krško on 4 June 1999, Sokler has climbed steadily through the ranks of Slovenian football before making his move abroad, and he earned his first cap for the Slovenia national team in a friendly against Cyprus in June 2026.
According to ONE, the push to bring Sokler to Bloomfield Stadium has come in part from Maccabi's new professional manager, who reportedly sees significant upside in the forward and views him as a central piece of the squad's attacking rebuild.
The signing would add to what has already been a busy window for the champions. Sport5 notes Maccabi has also brought in Christian Beetz and Dan Glazer this summer, and the club is continuing to search for a right winger to succeed Amir Sehiti.
Nothing is official yet — the reported fee, wages and precise signing date are still transfer-market reporting rather than a club announcement, and Maccabi Tel Aviv has not yet confirmed the move on its own channels. But with Sokler already in the air, the formal unveiling appears to be a matter of days, not weeks.
